West Ham appoint Nuno Espirito Santo as new head coach after sacking Graham Potter
Nuno Espirito Santo returns to Premier League just 18 days after Nottingham Forest axe; West Ham sacked Graham Potter after nine months in charge with club second bottom of Premier League; Nuno to take charge of trip to Everton, live on Monday Night Football
Saturday 27 September 2025 15:58, UK
West Ham have confirmed the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo as their new head coach after sacking Graham Potter.
Nuno returns to the Premier League just 18 days after being axed by Nottingham Forest and has signed a three-year deal at the London Stadium.
He takes over a troubled side that sits second-bottom in the Premier League and will be in the dugout for the trip to Everton, live on Monday Night Football.
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Nuno led Nottingham Forest to European qualification via a seventh-place Premier League finish and the FA Cup semi-finals last season, but was sacked earlier this month after a public fall-out with owner Evangelos Marinakis.
"I am very pleased to be here and very proud to be representing West Ham United," Nuno said.
"My objective is to work hard to get the very best from the team and ensure that we are as competitive as we possibly can be.
"The work has already started and I am looking forward to the challenge that is ahead."
Nuno was No 1 option - but is he the right for West Ham?
Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol:
"We were told on Thursday by a very senior source that the next West Ham manager was going to be Nuno Espirito Santo.
"Perhaps the timing would have been better to wait until the international break because West Ham have got this difficult game away at Everton, followed by a game away at Arsenal.
"Other names who were linked were Slaven Bilic, Gary O'Neil and Sean Dyche.
"Our information all along was that Nuno was the number one target. The big question is: Is he the right man for the job? Because this is a massive job, there are problems off the pitch, and there are issues with the London Stadium.
"It's undeniable that Nuno is a fantastic manager, but is he the right manager for West Ham? Will his style of football suit West Ham?
"A lot of people in the game say Nuno is a fantastic manager when your side doesn't have the ball; he's good at counter-attacking football, but will that suit West Ham?
"Do West Ham have the kind of players that can play that football, or are they good enough defensively, like Nuno's sides at Forest and Wolves were?
"We know he was the manager of Spurs for a short while, which didn't work, but if he does the kind of job he did at Forest, then he will potentially be a success.
"The first thing he needs to do if he gets the job is sort West Ham out defensively, stop them from conceding so many corners and get them out of the relegation zone."
Analysis: West Ham went backwards under Potter
Analysis by Sky Sports' Peter Smith:
Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui in January, but West Ham have gone backwards since then.
The former Brighton and Chelsea boss struggled to deliver consistent performances in the second half of last season as West Ham limped to a 14th-placed finish - the spot Lopetegui had left them in. They are now 19th and any hope of a boost from a pre-season with Potter and a squad overhaul this summer had already vanished.
The stats made grim reading for Potter. There were just six wins in his 23 Premier League games - and only three in the last 16. In fact, Potter finishes his tenure with a worse win percentage than Lopetegui - and only marginally better than Avram Grant's record low for a West Ham boss in the Premier League.
A winless run stretching to eight games at the London Stadium increased the ire among the match-going Hammers fans, who have not seen their side be victorious in a game at home since late February, while the style of play under Potter frustrated them, too.
Potter's West Ham was a team which allowed the opposition more passes before intervening than any other side in the top flight - and then ranked third-bottom for direct attacks up the pitch when they had it. It was certainly not edge-of-your-seat stuff.
The real action happened when West Ham had to defend crosses or corners and their vulnerability in these situations raised questions about training-ground work done by Potter and his coaching staff to prepare for those moments.
When Potter was asked if he was still the right man to lead West Ham, his reply following the Palace result was an adamant "of course".
The majority in the stands did not have the same conviction, with Hammers fans joining in with the away supporters chanting 'sacked in the morning' at the under-fire boss. It wasn't quite that swift but, clearly, the board felt the same way too.
What's coming up for Nuno? West Ham's next six fixtures
- Everton (a) Sept 29, Premier League, 8pm - live on Sky Sports
- Arsenal (a) Oct 4, Premier League, 3pm
- Brentford (h) Oct 20, Premier League, 8pm - live on Sky Sports
- Leeds United (a) Oct 24, Premier League, 8pm - live on Sky Sports
- Newcastle United (a) Nov 2, Premier League, 2pm - live on Sky Sports
- Burnley (h) Nov 8, Premier League, 3pm
